Chapter 4
Day 11
"Damn. Too much mead." I groaned as I woke to the sound of laughter and song. "Did I really sleep all day?" I couldn't believe how much they had made me drink the night before. I had never drank mead before and said as such when I finished chopping more wood. The innkeeper and two other patrons began to laugh then they all offered to pay for me to try. More than just trying it actually. Rolling over I noticed a note on the bedside shelf.
"Last night was a riot. Your room is paid for tonight as well as the drinks from last night. –Orgnar" The innkeeper's name must be Orgnar, I thought to myself with a smile. The details of the other night where hazy but it doesn't seem like I gave anything away about my world or how I came here. My head felt like it was going to split open as I sat up and stared at the closed door that lead to the larger area of the inn. People where laughing and I could hear mugs being banged together in celebration. It was either the town getting together or a group of travelers that had stopped by for the night. Either way the noise made my headache all the worse. After getting out of bed I decided it would be best to try and get some air. I donned my robes and hid my dagger in a sheathe I had obtained from the blacksmith. I asked him to specifically make it so I could put it on my wrist and conceal it within my robes.
It took me some stumbling but I was able to make it out my room, say thank you to Orgnar and get past the celebrating groups of people. They looked to be imperial soldiers, celebrating a victory perhaps? There was no way of telling, as I had heard nothing about the civil war since coming to the inn. "I haven't really been here that long though." I muttered to myself as the cold night air hit me hard in the face. The town felt quiet as everyone was either in their homes or at the inn. It must be the tenth day since I woke up here? It seems like I have started to get a little rhythm going. These past two days anyway. If I can keep this up, maybe even become an apprentice at the blacksmith, I could save up enough money then maybe head to a larger city and buy a house? If I was within stronger walls and more guards then I would feel much safer.
It was then that I noticed the torches from the southern road. There seemed to be over a dozen. More imperials perhaps? It was hard to tell from the distance they where at. I stood there and stared at them for a while as I was trying to think of why so many people where together. A caravan perhaps or a group of traders who hired guards? After a few minutes I noticed something wrong. I barged inside and slammed open the door. All those who where drinking and celebrating stopped to stare at me. Some looked more annoyed that their drinking had been interrupted than anything. "Bandits! A group of them coming from the Southern Road!" I yelled as panic coursed through me. Why now, already there's too much going on and I'm once again at high risk of losing my life.
The soldiers drew their blades. Some stumbled out into the darkness others more nimble on their feet as they charged down the road towards the torches. Some of the guards from the southern camp must have seen what was going on and had already begun fighting the group of bandits by the time the imperials had gotten their. I stayed back at the inn and waited over by the innkeeper. My head was killing me, my heart was pounding so hard it might come out of my chest, and I felt like I was on the verge of peeing myself. I had been frightened all the time while I was on the road but now I could see and hear the threat just a little ways away from me. Swords clashed, people screamed, and people ran about outside of the inn. The innkeeper had his hands on the mace just below his counter and my own hands where close together in case I needed to draw my knife. The minutes it took for the battle to end seemed like hours to me as I eyed the doorway.
When an imperial soldier came through the doorway I practically wet myself right there, but luckily I didn't.
"It's over now. We killed em." He said with a slight smile. But his facial expression changed as he held his side. Orgnar rushed over the supported the man. "I'm okay. Just got grazed is all." His face showed his pain but it also gave away that he was still drunk. The wound could be much worse as he wouldn't have felt it at first! I went over and helped Orgnar guide the man to the nearby table and set him down. Others began to file in. Some wounded and others just a little banged up. I did what I could to help get others to sit down and help Orgnar find cloth to bandage the wounds. Other people began to file in to help the soldiers and guards that survived.
"P-please give us a blessing." A young looking soldier begged. It was the first time anyone had really thought of me as a priest as I hadn't tried to portray myself as one.
"Erm. Well." I knew from experience with the games that the nine divines and the daedric princes pay close attention to the acts of mortals so I wondered if I would be punished for impersonating a priest. But the look in the young man's eyes where pleading. These people believed heavily in their gods and I would have to do the same in order to ask for a blessing for these men. I gathered up my courage and raised a hand to the young man. "I ask Akatosh and the Nine Divines to bless these men. To give them strength and guidance in the times to come and to help heal their wounds." As I spoke I felt something within me. My body felt warm and power flowed from my hand and out towards the man and the inn itself.
"Your prayer has been heard" I could have sworn I heard a voice in my head. It felt deep and menacing but at the same time gentle and comforting. It was a difficult thing to describe.
The young man smiled and thanked me as he leaned against the nearby wall and slumped down to a sitting position. The other soldiers seemed to also feel at peace as their wounds where being bandaged.
It took me a minute to calm myself down from everything that had just happened. I sat at an empty table and sighed heavily. I just successfully did a blessing? I'm no priest! Why would they answer my prayer? What was going on here? I still had no answers to how I had come here and what I was supposed to do to get home!
Due to the hangover my head felt like it was going to split open on top of the stress of the situation. I did what I could to help the others with the wounded then closed myself in my room. I was confused, exhausted, and in a lot of pain. I only hoped that the initial danger had passed outside as I undress and crawl underneath the furs on the bed. Why was all this happening to me? More questions just popped up by the day as I tried to live in this new reality.